Retirement Gift Ideas for a Well-Earned Next Chapter

Retirement closes one chapter and opens another – more time for family, for hobbies, for the long dinners and slow mornings that a working life rarely allows. The best retirement gift ideas look ahead to that next chapter rather than back at the office. Here are our favorite retirement gifts for a colleague, a parent or a friend who has earned every minute of it.

For the Time They Finally Have: A Beautiful Game

A handsome chess set invites long afternoons, visiting grandchildren and friendly rivalries – and it looks wonderful on a coffee table between games.

Michael Aram Palace Chess Set

A metal chess set handcrafted in the Michael Aram workshops, where each design begins as a hand-forged original, so organic textures make every piece subtly unique. It arrives beautifully boxed, ready to present at the retirement party.

L'Objet Haas Chess Set

From L'Objet, the luxury house that develops its pieces with skilled European and international ateliers – a chess set designed to stay out on display. For a quicker game, see our other games.

For the Memoirs, Letters and Crosswords: A Fine Pen

Caran d'Ache Ecridor Retro Ballpoint Pen

Made in Caran d'Ache's Geneva workshops and assembled by hand, the Ecridor's hexagonal brass body is engraved by the house's master guillocheurs. The Retro carries a lozenge guilloche taken from the brand's 1930s mechanical pencils, and its Goliath cartridge writes up to 600 A4 pages. See all Caran d'Ache Ecridor pens.

For the Photos From the Farewell: A Picture Frame

A frame turns the best photo from the send-off – or from the first trip of retirement – into something they will see every day.

Michael Aram Golden Ginkgo Frame

Golden ginkgo leaves frame the photo in 5x7 or 8x10, handcrafted in the Michael Aram workshops, where each design begins as a hand-forged original.

Jay Strongwater Laetitia Stone Edge 8x10 Frame – Safari

Every Jay Strongwater piece is hand-enamelled and hand-set with crystals by skilled artisans, passing through dozens of hands before it is finished. A jeweled 8x10 frame for a milestone photo.

Christofle Jardin d'Eden Silver-Plated Picture Frame

A 4x6 silver-plated frame from Christofle's Jardin d'Eden collection, from the French silversmith founded in Paris in 1830. More ideas in our picture frames.

A Keepsake for the Home: Herend Porcelain Boxes

A small porcelain box is a gift that lasts: shaped, glazed and painted entirely by hand in Herend, Hungary, where the manufactory has worked since 1826.

Herend Round Box with Bow

Tied with a porcelain bow, as if the gift were wrapped for good – hand-painted in Herend's classic fishnet pattern in a range of colors.

Herend Bird House Box

For the new birdwatcher or gardener: a hand-painted bird house box in raspberry or blue fishnet.

Herend Rothschild Bird Square Box

Hand-painted in Herend's Rothschild Bird pattern – lovely for someone who already collects it. Browse all of our decorative boxes.

For the First Toast of Retirement

Lalique Owl Old Fashion Tumbler

Crystal made in the Lalique manufactory in Wingen-sur-Moder, Alsace, offered as a single glass or a set of two – the owl a fitting symbol of hard-won wisdom.

Tips for Choosing a Retirement Gift

• Think about what they plan to do next – travel, garden, write, play – and choose for that.
• Add a handwritten note; a few words about their career often mean as much as the gift.
• Collecting from the whole team? See our corporate gifts for pieces that suit a group gift.

Save your favorites: open any piece and tap the ♡ to add it to your Wishlist, then share the list with the colleagues chipping in.